In 1919 the Roxy Theater in Whittier was called “the latest word in motion picture circles” and “one of the finest motion picture houses in the Southland”. Vaudeville acts shared the Roxy’s spotlight and stage with flimed silent screen classics.

The price for a night out at the raucous Roxy was high, fifty cents a person. By 1971, the cost of one of the wooden seats had inflated to 65 cents, but even at that price there were no takers. The old theater was deteriorating. The mortar used to hold its brick facade together was crumbling. The neon-lighted marquee blinked if it worked at all. The quality of clientele dropped. Parents didn’t want their children going inside.

On September 29, 1971, the old Roxy burned to the ground. Firemen said the blaze was set deliberately. An arson investigation launched. The old theater became a dirt parking lot.

Whittier’s new theater, the Scenic, will open for business next Monday, presenting “The Ladder of Lies”. The Scenic is the venture of three well-known Whittier men, Truman C. Berry, J.H. Gwin and E.C. Siler. These men have for some time been operating the Gale, which will also be continued by them as an evening house. The new house will probably offer daily matinees.

The new theater seats 1500 people and represents an outlay of $150,000. It is located on East Philadelphia Street, a block and a half from the business center of the city.

From the Diary of Wilbert S. Myers – July 12, 1913 (Whittier CA):
“Robert <son of W. S. Myers> attended the new "Berry Grand” picture show tonight.“
After this date there were several mentions of the "Berry Grand,” but the location was never revealed. Does anyone know the location of this theatre in Whittier?

I worked at the Roxy in 1963 and 1964. It was my first job and I was an “usherette”. The employees would rotate working behind the snack bar/candy counter, selling tickets or ushering. The theatre did have a balcony and one could watch the movie from there. So sad that it burned down. Lots of good memories.

This theatre housed the office of Hugh W. Bruen, who operated the Roxy, Wardman, and Whittier theaters and the Sundown Drive-In for many years. He was a prince of a guy, always giving passes to community groups and to kids like me with an interest in the movies.